Access Denied
by IllaSc
Summary: Nudge has two problems: her feelings for Iggy, and hacking into the Institute's website. What happens when the two are combined? General POV, oneshot, Nudgy.


A/N: Huzzah for Nudgy! Once again, this story is based on a blog entry. Nudge had been trying to hack into the Institute's website. evil laugh I'm not letting her do too well.

Nudge: That's not fair! I didn't have that much trouble!

Shh, Nudge! stows her in closet, slams door Anyway, read and review!

**Disclaimer: Don't sue me because I don't own them.**

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**ACCESS DENIED**

"Hmm," Nudge muttered to herself. "And if the program creates a purportedly random password, then the formula should be _here_." Click. Click. "That's not right..."

She was working on hacking into the Institute's website, per Max's request. Iggy and Gazzy were sprawled on the floor behind her, working on a bomb because Max and Fang were grocery shopping. Angel was in the next room, humming to herself and playing with Celeste and Total.

"Now if I click here and type in what was on the other page..."

ACCESS DENIED.

"Darn it." Click. Click. "Aha! That should work!"

"What should work?" Iggy asked. Truth be told, his attention had been more on Nudge than on the bomb.

_This is just stupid. Why do I like Nudge? For Pete's sake, she's _

_almost three years younger than me, and she's practically my sister._

Nudge's heart skipped a beat at Iggy's interruption. "I'm not quite sure," she replied. "I hit upon something that just might be a combination key... but it's encoded..."

_I am pathetic. I'm only 12, and he's 15... way old!_

_Why, why, why? I'm too young for him, and besides, we're basically siblings._

Click. Double-click. "Now if the code is worked backward, each with a substituted number in this format, then... hmm..."

Iggy smiled.

_She's got amazing persistence. If _I _could see, I would have _

_given up a looooong time ago. 'Course, she talks too much sometimes. But hey, _

_that's Nudge. She wouldn't be Nudge without..._

"Iggy, what are you smiling at?" Gazzy inquired. Iggy snapped to. "Uh... just thinking," he stammered. "Now, where were we?" Gasman gave him a quizzical look and resumed work on the bomb.

ACCESS DENIED.

"Agh. I knew I coded that entry wrong." Nudge grimaced. "Now, to start all over again..."

_Hmm. Maybe it's because he really listens to me. Mostly_

_the others cut me off, but he just lets talk. He's so understanding,_

_he realizes my need to talk, 'specially when I'm stressed._

Click. Click. "Maybe that'll work..."

ACCESS DENIED.

sigh

For the next half hour, Nudge murmured to herself and kept getting error signals, Iggy tried to keep his mind on the bomb while Gasman tried to figure out what was going on and got more and more annoyed, Angel stayed quiet, and Max and Fang didn't come back.

ACCESS DENIED.

Nudge's gift was only confusing her. She could feel the computer telling her all the things she had typed in before for this particular combination, which mixed her up. "Argh! Stupid computer!" Nudge started crying and shoved her chair backward, only to be arrested by a sharp yelp of pain from Iggy.

"Omigosh, Iggy, I didn't see you there, I am soooo sorry!" Nudge exclaimed.

"It's partially my fault anyway," Iggy replied wryly. "I didn't see you there, either." Nudge was so upset she didn't respond to his joking, but only cried harder. Iggy frowned. "Are you crying, Nudge? What's the matter?"

She sniffed. "I can't get through," she explained, still sobbing. "And I want to be able to do this for the Flock, especially Max, but she might be home any minute and I still haven't hacked in, and..."

At this point Iggy interrupted her by standing up and taking her into his arms. She wept into his shoulder. Gazzy was puzzled and wondered if they had both lost it. Nudge finally calmed down and her sobs diminished into hiccuping sighs.

"I love you, Iggy," she murmured softly into his blue T-shirt.

_Omigosh! Why did I say that? He probably heard me._

_Now I went and blew everything._

Iggy's sensitive ears did hear it, indeed.

_Could it be? Did she mean it? What does she mean?_

"You're such a great..." Nudge hesitated.

_If I say person, he'll know that I meant more than just a family _

_kind of love. And that'll ruin everything. He's so much older than me,_

_he doesn't like me like that. Iggy probably likes Max. 'Course, she_

_likes Fang, but... yeah, that's it. Iggy likes Max._

Iggy tensed.

_This is it. This is when I finally find out what she feels. I wonder_

_what she's going to say, I wonder what she's going to say..._

"...big brother," Nudge finished. "Thanks," Iggy replied, trying to keep bitterness out of his voice. She sat back down at the computer and sighed. "Now, just keep it up, okay?" He fumbled for something "brotherly" to say and ended up patting her head. Iggy couldn't see it, but Nudge wilted.

_That confirms it. If he liked me, he would NOT have patted_

_my head. He's just trying to be a good brother. So I should be a good_

_sister, too. Forget all this. _She sighed again and looked glumly at the computer screen.

Iggy sat down next to Gazzy.

_Why did I hold her? Really rash of me. But she thanked me _

_for being a great big brother. That's probably all she thinks of me, I'm_

_too old, she's too young..._

Tears started to his unseeing eyes and he rushed to the door.

Gazzy was convinced they had both gone crazy.

Nudge started clicking away at the computer again, her eyes filling with tears.

_Of course he wouldn't like me. He patted my head, for Pete's_

_sake! Why did that happen... how could it hurt so bad, especially after_

_he held me?_

She tried to find a place in Iggy's heart...

ACCESS DENIED.

Iggy took off into the wind as he heard Max and Fang returning.

_I love her, too, but not the way she meant. That hurt me, and she didn't_

_even realize it. At least I patted her head... that way she won't think I like her._

He had tried to win Nudge's heart...

ACCESS DENIED.

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passes out tissues Reviewers get homeade chocolate chip cookies! Constructive criticism is always good.


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